DC's Legends of Tomorrow season 8 didn't push through, and the show was canceled after the seventh season's finale. For seven seasons, Legends of Tomorrow, much like its titular team, was DC's plucky little CW show that could. When it premiered, it almost seemed like a catch-all show for characters who had been cut from the other Arrowverse shows due to casts getting too unwieldy — with more cynical critics ever dismissing it as a cheap attempt to snag viewers.
Over time though Legends of Tomorrow grew into its own, becoming the Arrowverse's most delightfully wacky and weird show. However, this wasn't enough to prevent Legends of Tomorrow from being one of the various CW shows canceled in 2022. Indeed, having a lot of heart couldn't save Legends of Tomorrow from getting canned - and the reason boils down to business. Now that the dust has settled, the rumors of Legends of Tomorrow season 8 still somehow being in the works can be laid to rest. Here's everything viewers need to know about the Legends of Tomorrow's cancelation.
Why Was Legends of Tomorrow Canceled?
Legends of Tomorrow season 8 had an uncertain future from the moment season 7 concluded, but Legends showrunner Keto Shimizu confirmed in April that the CW had officially pulled the plug. Speculation around cancelation began to surface when it emerged the show hadn't been renewed for a new season by early 2022. Rumors circulated that Legends of Tomorrow season 8 had cropped up online, but Keto Shimizu debunked them in a tweet.
While Shimizu had previously said that, with the Legends of Tomorrow season 7 ending, they "chose to take the route of optimism and to tell a story that is propulsive into a future season" (via TVLine), a number of financial factors ultimately sealed the show's fate. The cancelation coincided with parent companies WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS trying to sell the CW network. Despite a loyal fanbase and healthy ratings for a CW show, Legends of Tomorrow season 8 was canceled, with season 7's "optimistic" cliffhanger remaining unresolved.
Legends of Tomorrow S7 Ending Set Up Unfinished S8 Stories
The season 8 set up by Legend of Tomorrow's season 7 finale would have been eventful. Three huge developments happened during the season 7 climax. First, DC comics mainstay Booster Gold made his debut, played by Donald Faison of Scrubs fame. Sara Lance discovered she is pregnant, and the baby has inherited her regenerative powers. Nate Heywood, a.k.a. Citizen Steel, departed the team which left room on the roster for a new face, maybe even Donald Faison's Booster Gold. Both were sure to be significant and engaging storylines for Legends of Tomorrow season 8.
What's more, a newly-rescued Alun joining the Waveriders implied he'd factor into season 8 somehow. And beyond his double-double-cross at the end of the season 7 finale, Booster Gold being the father of former Legends leader Rip Hunter was a bombshell reveal that deserved to go somewhere. All in all, audiences were left in suspense when the season 7 finale credits rolled. Now that season 8's cancelation is official, those unresolved arcs will likely stay unresolved.
How The Cast Reacted To Legends Of Tomorrow's Cancelation
The Legends of Tomorrow cast has spoken out about the canceled season 8. Caity Lotz who plays Legends leader Sara Lance, a.k.a. White Canary, shared on an Instagram story "I am bummed! I am sad, I’m going to miss it so much," (via TVLine). Lotz had played Sara Lance since the first episode of Legends of Tomorrow aired in 2016. For her and other cast members like Amy Louise Pemberton, Matt Ryan, Tom Forbes, and the rest of the Legends regulars, it's the end of an era. "Working on Legends has been amazing." Lotz went on to say in her Instagram story. "It’s been such a journey and I am so endlessly grateful for it, and for you guys. So, thank you. To all the Legends of Tomorrow fans out there we love you guys so much. And it has been a blast."
Many of the cast took to social media upon hearing the news, sharing behind-the-scenes photos and stories of their favorite memories from their time on the show. Despite his character Nick Heywood/Steel already set for an exit after season 7, Nick Zano marked the occasion with a lengthy Instagram post to say his time on the show was "the absolute most insane, fulfilling experience". It seems that Legends of Tomorrow was loved just as much by the cast as it was by its loyal fanbase. Indeed, following the show's cancelation, viewers voiced their opinions online about how Legends of Tomorrow still deserves a proper ending.
While there's a chance some characters may return in other Arrowverse shows if the CW finds a new home on HBO Max, for now, the plucky Legends have no tomorrow on the horizon. Legends of Tomorrow had a special place in the hearts of both its fanbase and the cast. Sadly, even the introduction of Booster Gold and a season 7 finale dripping with unanswered questions couldn't save season 8 from cancelation.
Legends Of Tomorrow Was The First DC Casualty Of The WB Discovery Merger
Happening just before the Warner Bros. and Discovery merger, Legends of Tomorrow was the first of many cancelations that followed after WBD launched cost-cutting efforts to account for the merger's expensive cost. While WBD saved money by not pursuing Legends of Tomorrow season 8, they turned Batgirl's $90 million budget into a tax write-off which made it illegal to release. This is despite the still-rising anticipation not just for Batgirl's first solo movie, but also for the return of Michael Keaton's Batman, both key reasons why DC fans were hyped for Batgirl. As part of efforts to cut costs and reorganize its content, the WBD merger also resulted in the cancelation of the planned Strange Adventures series, and The Wonder Twins movie. Meanwhile, the fate of the Green Lantern series, The Flash movie, the Blue Beetle movie, and the Justice League Dark series remain unclear.
While many projects joined Legends of Tomorrow on the cutting room floor, the good news is that both the Shazam and Aquaman sequels are only delayed - not canceled. Apart from these feature films, there's not much news about WBD's plans for DC's other supposedly upcoming projects. Currently, the future of the second-biggest superhero franchise in the world is extremely uncertain. Hopefully, WBD can soon announce a more definitive and long-term plan for its DC content. This is especially true as DC's biggest rival, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has been successfully building anticipation with the announcement of its own future slate of movies and shows.
The New DCU Should Resurrect Legends Of Tomorrow
Fortunately, new DC Studios CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran have been receptive to the idea of bringing back shows that were unfairly axed - including but not limited to putting Legends of Tomorrow season 8 in the new DCU. Indeed, with James Gunn's DCU reboot including movies and series throughout a decade-long plan, there's actually a high possibility for Legends of Tomorrow to get folded into the DCU multiverse. Though DC has thus far announced no exact plans to do just that, Gunn has taken to Twitter to publicly acknowledge the #SaveLegendsofTomorrow fan campaign - part of a series of posts reassuring viewers that they are open to fan desires and suggestions regarding the different pathways forward for the DCU. By following through on the Legends of Tomorrow finale cliffhanger, Gunn and Safran could begin patching things up with long-time Legends audiences - and gaining more viewers for the DCU multiverse.